Presently, many ATE Test Program editors are based on sequential program instructions. In other words, users write computer program instructions to create and modify test programs that execute in a sequential order. This is often cumbersome for users because the programming interface to most instrument instructions require in-depth technical knowledge of the inner workings of the underlying test instrument and creation requires knowledge of a programming language compatible with the test instrument. This also limits the execution of instrument instructions to be sequential which will generally result in lengthy execution times and repeated instrument operations. Modern ATE instruments have added the ability to perform multiple operations in parallel. That is, an instrument may now source different stimuli on multiple channels at once, or may now make different acquisitions on multiple channels at once. Traditional test programming languages cannot easily take advantage of these features thus limiting the capabilities of the test program and ATE systems. Further, test programs can be complex and lengthy. Hence, there is a need to improve test program editors to more easily accommodate creation of complex test programs, especially to more easily enable multiple instrument operations being executed in parallel within a coherent time domain.
The following comprises a glossary of nomenclature used herein:                ATE Execution Engine—The specific component or capability of an ATE Test Executive that executes predefined test programs.        Automated Test Equipment (ATE)—an apparatus that performs tests on a device using automation to quickly perform stimuli and acquisitions and evaluate the results of said stimuli and acquisitions. The use of ATE includes reference to Automated Test System (ATS) and other names for like systems that perform similar testing processes.                    ATE Test Executive—software that operates as the overall manager of component systems in an ATE. More specifically, the test executive enables the creation and configuration of test programs as well as controls the execution of said test programs.            Coherence—maintaining phase and relationship of signal stimuli and acquisition.            Instrument Capability—A logical ability of an instrument resource. Generally describes the type of measurement to make or signal to source, and the associated physical pins/ports on the instrument.            Instrument Configuration Window—A graphical display of the current operation execution properties, allowing the user to change those properties and then save the changed properties for execution at runtime. Instrument configuration windows allow the execution of the operation with the execution properties currently displayed in the window.            Instrument Operation—The logical instrument action, which may be a combination of physical instrument actions. That is, an operation may describe multiple actions which are performed together to accomplish a task.            Instrument Resource—A physical asset contained within the ATE.            IS—Instrument Start.            IOL—Instrument Operation Length.            T0—defines when the test timing starts.            T0+IS—defines when an instrument operation starts.            T0+IS+IOL—defines the end time of an instrument operation.            Tn—discrete time instance in time domain with reference to T0.            Temporally Coherent—Deterministic within the time domain.            Test Group—A test group consists of one or more individual tests.            Test Program—A set or collection of test groups.            Test Sequence—A series of operations that the user specifies for execution.            Unit Under Test (UUT)—A device or component that is being tested such as a circuit card or assembly of electronic components.            Interface Test Adapter (ITA)—A customized interface test adapter, or “fixture” that adapts the ATE's resources to the UUT.                        